I'm really just starting this to see how much interest there is in the topic of an American living in the United Kingdom. Whether it's because you're getting ready to move to the UK, want to move or visit te UK, or it's just because you happen to be curious; I hope I can provide an accurate picture of what to expect when you get here through my experiences. I want you to feel free to ask questions, give suggestions (or even corrections for you native British readers), and be able to discuss without unnecessary hostility to each other about life in the UK. My interpretation of living in the UK is not by any means 100% accurate or true for the whole of Britain. I can merely tell you how it appears from my point of view.
So, before I get started, the email to send your afore mentioned comments, suggestions, questions, etc. would be USAmericanintheUK@gmail.com. I know you have the comments down below, but I would much rather that any communication intended for me to see is sent to my email box. Call me old fashioned, but I tire easily of reading through comments as they generally descend into arguments that no one cares about or cares too much about. Emailing me will ensure that your voice is heard. I will do my best to respond to you quickly, or through my blog itself. I feel that this will be the best way to run things. Again, you can email me if you disagree (not that I'll see it your way, but at least you can say that you tried to reason with me).
Alright, it's really starting now, so sit back, relax, put on a cup of tea and let's get introductions out of the way.
Actual Introductions
Hello there. You might be wandering some things.. such as: Where did I come from? Where am I now? Why am I where I am now? Settle down... I will tell you.
I was born and raised in rural Kansas, for those of you who don't know where that is, it's in the middle of the USA. Just look for the middle rectangular state with a squiggly line on the top right. Kansas is known for being flat, desolate, and boring to outsiders (and some insiders), but to me, it's home. There's nothing quite like the thunderstorms in the spring and summer, or like the crazy winter weather that can't ever make up its mind, or the ability to see for miles and miles, and most of all I think I miss the stars at night. Enough of that homelovin' stuff. Where am I now??
I currently live in Cardiff, Wales. To those of you who are geographically challenged, this is on the west south west side of the island of Great Britain. It's important to note (for you outsiders) that Wales is indeed a country, it is part of the United Kingdom, and people here get quite easily flustered if you refer to them as English. Yes, I'm a long way from the wheat fields of Kansas, but how in the world did I end up here?
About six years ago I got on a (then) popular social networking site called Xanga. I do believe my Xanga profile is still in existence today. I was looking for an international pen pal on day and I just happened to click on metro areas in the UK, then I clicked on Cardiff (which I had never previously heard of). I found the profile of a Cardiff girl and thought that her profile was interesting enough. She had similar interests and cool pictures of the countryside so I decided to message her and ask if it was OK to post on her page. Then things progressed to writing letters when I went away for college, then on to phone calls, and flowers, and rings, and now we're married and living in the UK.
All your questions answered, and I haven't even truly started this post! Sometimes I do amaze myself.
The beginning? De-education.
In order for my my fellow Americans (and anyone else unfamiliar with the UK) to understand exactly what's going on over here (in the sense of geography, or political divisions) I must zap out any generalizations that I have found myself to have had, and pretty much every person I know from back home to have. Great Britain is the island that most of you would probably be inclined to just call "England." In fact, Great Britain (the island) is composed of three different countries: England, Scotland, and Wales (not in order of favorites, but in alphabetical. The United Kingdom is composed of four major countries, (along with some territories and such, but we don't want to get too far into this on the first date) the three that I just listed and Northern Ireland. I believe I have a graphic designed to demonstrate these four countries on a map..
Isn't it beautiful? I made it myself.
The problem isn't necessarily that you don't know that there are other countries on this island. It's more of the generalization problem I referred to earlier. Landmarks and famous things you think of are most likely in England: The Queen, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square. And all of those (even the queen mostly) are in London! Stonehenge? Southwest England. Sherwood Forest? England. The white cliffs of Dover? Any guesses? That's right.. England. Even the big soccer (or football as it's called here) teams are English cities: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool. Now, to be fair to the rest of Great Britain, there are some great places to check out, but we'll get to that another time.
I say all of that to say this. It's not that we, as Americans aren't educated. I think it's due to the fact that most of the touristy places are in England, most of the Hollywood depictions of Britain are also in England and therefore we tend to generalize the whole island (and Northern Ireland) into being England.
Alright! I feel like I've covered a good amount of ground here and will leave it here. If you have any requests or interests, please let me know by submitting your question and or request to USAmericanintheUK@gmail.com. (Remember, the email is the best way!)
- American in the UK
